Kannada ZEE5 has unveiled a major new content slate featuring highly anticipated movies, original series, reality shows, AI-powered titles and live sports. The line-up includes Karavali, Ayyana Mane 2, Corporate Love Story, Kudla Cup, Mallika, Vakalath, Bitcoin Scam, Operation Bangara, Cool Moms and several other titles aimed at strengthening ZEE5‘s Kannada entertainment portfolio.
The new slate combines established stars, filmmakers and production houses with new formats and storytelling ideas. Covering crime thrillers, courtroom drama, romance, supernatural fiction, sports drama, reality programming and contemporary stories, the line-up reflects ZEE5’s strategy to offer Kannada audiences a broader entertainment ecosystem beyond movies.
The platform is also expanding its Kannada sports offering with international football properties including FIFA, Bundesliga, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.
| Title / Offering | Genre / Format | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Karavali | Movie | Prajwal Devaraj, Raj B. Shetty; directed by Gurudatha Ganiga |
| Bitcoin Scam | Original | Part of the new Kannada slate |
| Operation Bangara | Original | Starring Nishvika Naidu |
| Corporate Love Story | Long-format Series | Priyanka Upendra, Sanjana Doss, Pranav Sridhar; directed by Pannagabharana |
| Cool Moms | Long-format Series | Produced by Endemol Shine India |
| Kudla Cup | Sports Drama | Pruthvi Ambaar, Arjun Kapikad |
| Ayyana Mane 2 | Series | Kushee Ravi, Akshay Nayaka; directed by Ramesh Indira |
| Vakalath | Courtroom Drama | New Kannada original |
| Mallika | Crime Thriller | Starring Roshni Prakash |
| Jungle Power | Non-fiction / Reality | Hosted by Akul Balaji |
| Halli Power | Non-fiction / Reality | Hosted by Akul Balaji |
| AI-powered Titles | Multiple Genres | Garuda, Vikram Vetal, Shiv Sati, Chandrakanta, Tirupati Balaji, Barbarik Narmada, Ram Anjanay Yudh |
| Kundaka Mandakka | Kids | Children’s entertainment |
| Live Sports | Sports | FIFA, Bundesliga, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana |
Karavali Leads Kannada ZEE5’s New Slate
One of the biggest titles in the new line-up is Karavali, starring Prajwal Devaraj and Raj B. Shetty.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Gurudatha Ganiga, Karavali is positioned as a major Kannada cinematic venture combining large-scale production with storytelling rooted in the culture of the region.
The film is being developed as a significant theatrical release with ambitions to reach audiences beyond Karnataka. Its addition to the ZEE5 portfolio is one of the major highlights of the newly announced Kannada slate.
Corporate Love Story Brings a New Long-Format Original
Corporate Love Story is another important addition to the platform’s original programming.
Headlined by Priyanka Upendra, Sanjana Doss and Pranav Sridhar, the series is directed by Pannagabharana.
The project is being positioned as the first long-format Kannada original series for the platform and represents ZEE5’s efforts to experiment with formats beyond conventional films and shorter original series.
Another long-format offering, Cool Moms, is produced by Endemol Shine India.
Ayyana Mane Returns with Season 2
Following audience response to the franchise, Ayyana Mane 2 is joining the new Kannada ZEE5 slate.
The returning series stars Kushee Ravi and Akshay Nayaka, with Ramesh Indira directing the project.
Bringing Ayyana Mane back for another instalment also underlines the platform’s strategy of developing successful Kannada properties into continuing franchises.
Mallika Brings a Crime Thriller to the Slate
Mallika, starring Roshni Prakash, is among the more distinctive original projects announced as part of the line-up.
The crime thriller is inspired by the story of India’s first convicted female serial killer, giving the project a different space within ZEE5’s expanding Kannada original portfolio.
The slate also includes Vakalath, which ventures into the courtroom drama genre.
Kudla Cup Explores Sports Drama
The new content line-up expands into sports-based fiction with Kudla Cup, featuring Pruthvi Ambaar and Arjun Kapikad.
The sports drama forms part of ZEE5’s effort to tell stories rooted in different regions, cultures and audience experiences within Karnataka.
Bitcoin Scam and Operation Bangara, with the latter starring Nishvika Naidu, further expand the variety of original titles included in the slate.
Jungle Power and Halli Power Expand Reality Entertainment
Kannada ZEE5 is also strengthening its non-fiction offering with Jungle Power and Halli Power.
Both shows are hosted by Akul Balaji, bringing a familiar television and reality-show personality to the platform’s growing entertainment portfolio.
The addition of these formats means the new slate extends well beyond scripted films and series, with reality programming forming another key part of the Kannada content strategy.
Kannada ZEE5 Expands AI-Powered Storytelling
AI-powered storytelling is another area included in the expanded Kannada portfolio.
The line-up features Garuda, Vikram Vetal, Shiv Sati, Chandrakanta, Tirupati Balaji, Barbarik Narmada and Ram Anjanay Yudh.
Children’s programming is also represented through titles including Kundaka Mandakka, further broadening the range of audiences targeted by the platform.
FIFA, Bundesliga and More Live Sports in Kannada
Alongside entertainment programming, ZEE5 is expanding its sports offering for Kannada audiences.
The growing live sports portfolio includes FIFA, Bundesliga, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, bringing major international football properties to viewers.
The combination of movies, originals, reality programming, children’s entertainment, AI-powered storytelling and live sports is intended to position the Kannada service as a wider digital entertainment destination rather than one focused solely on films.
Partnerships with Kannada Production Houses
The expanded slate also continues ZEE5’s collaborations with production houses and creative teams in the Kannada entertainment industry.
The platform’s creative partnerships include KVN Productions, Daali Pictures, Shruti Naidu Productions, Streetlamp Media Entertainment, Devraj Poojary Productions, Filmy Fellow Studioz and Shive Studios, alongside projects developed through its in-house production ecosystem.
These partnerships cover genres ranging from crime and romance to sports, drama, supernatural fiction and contemporary storytelling.
ZEE5 Aims to Strengthen Kannada Entertainment Portfolio
Speaking about the announcement, Deepak Sriramulu, Chief Channel Officer, Zee Kannada & Business Head, Kannada ZEE5, said the audience response received over the previous year had given the team confidence to further expand its Kannada offering.
He highlighted projects such as Corporate Love Story and Mallika as examples of the platform pushing into different formats and creative spaces.
Sriramulu also underlined the importance of bringing major films such as Karavali to the platform and expanding beyond movies with a broader mix of programming.
According to him, titles such as Ayyana Mane 2 and Kudla Cup, despite belonging to very different creative spaces, share an ability to connect with the emotions and aspirations of Kannada audiences.
The larger objective is to bring distinctive Kannada stories across genres and formats together on one platform while keeping the content strongly connected to Karnataka and its audiences.
With Karavali, Ayyana Mane 2, Corporate Love Story, Mallika, Kudla Cup, Vakalath, reality programming, AI-powered titles and international live sports, Kannada ZEE5’s new slate represents a significant expansion of its regional entertainment offering.
